Wednesday, April 18, 2018

TheList 4702

1848—U.S. Navy expedition to explore the Dead Sea and the River Jordan, commanded by Lt. William F. Lynch, reaches the Dead Sea.

1906—U.S. Navy assists in relief operations during the San Francisco earthquake and fire. Sailors and Marines fight fires and ships carry the homeless and injured to Vallejo, where medical personnel established emergency facilities.

1942—The Doolittle Raid begins with 16 Army Air Force B-25 bombers launching earlier than expected from USS Hornet (CV 8), approximately 650 miles off Japan, after being spotted by enemy ships. It is the first attack by the U.S. of the Japanese mainland since Pearl Harbor. Most of the 16 B-25s, each with a five-man crew, attack the Tokyo area, with a few hitting Nagoya. Embarrassed, the Japanese revise plans and six weeks later attack the American carrier group near Midway sooner than expected.

1943—U.S. Army Air Force P-38s off Bougainville, using signals intelligence, shoot down plane carrying Imperial Japanese Navy Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet.

Top national news focuses on the death of Barbara Bush, wife and mother of presidents, at age 92, along with yesterday's Southwest Airlines emergency landing and CIA director Mike Pompeo's trip to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un several weeks ago. The meeting between the two was part of an effort to set the stage for direct talks between President Trump and the North Korean leader. Assistant secretary of the Navy James Geurts told the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee that the Navy intends to spend $21 billion over 20 years to optimize public shipyards, reports USNI News.

From a Midnight Ride to Doolittle's Raid by W. Thomas Smith Jr.

04/20/2010

This Week in American Military History:

Apr. 18, 1775: Paul Revere and William Dawes begin their famous "midnight ride" from Boston to Lexington, Mass., where they link-up with Samuel Prescott, who rides on to Concord. All three are sounding the alarm – warning town leaders and alerting the militia – that British soldiers are advancing from Boston. One of America's most-famous battles is about to take place.

Apr. 18, 1942: Sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers launch from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the first raid against the Japanese mainland during World War II.

Led by U.S. Army Air Forces Lt. Col. (future four-star Air Force general) James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle, the raid is beyond daring: B-25's are not designed to take-off from carriers, so the bomber pilots have to be specially trained to fly the heavy, ground-launched airplanes (designed for long runways) off short carrier decks. It is also a one-way mission: The crews will not have enough fuel to return to the carrier, so they have been instructed to strike Tokyo and other targets on Honshu, then fly to China and pray they'll find suitable landing sites or bail out.

The raid will be successful, but all aircraft will be lost. Eleven men will be killed or captured.

Forced with his crew to make a nighttime parachute jump in stormy weather over China, Doolittle will ultimately receive the Medal of Honor. A portion of his citation reads: "With the apparent certainty of being forced to land in enemy territory or to perish at sea, Lt. Col. Doolittle personally led a squadron of Army bombers, manned by volunteer crews, in a highly destructive raid on the Japanese mainland."

Apr. 19, 1775: Nearly 1,000 British regulars – light infantry, grenadiers, a few Royal Marines – cross the Charles River from Boston, Mass. to the Cambridge shoreline (thus the famous "two" lantern signal in the Old North Church as opposed to the "one" lantern which would have signaled a British approach on land across "Boston neck").

Lt. Col. Francis Smith of the 10th Lincolnshires commands the force.

Commanding Smith's lead elements is Maj. John Pitcairn of the Royal Marines. Gen. Sir Thomas Gage, commander-in-chief of the King's men in North America, had previously ordered Smith to lead an expedition to Concord, and seize and destroy the military stores hidden in the town.

First stop along the way is Lexington. There, just before dawn, two militia companies – the Minute and the Alarm – under Captain John Parker are forming for battle on Lexington Green.

Before the day is over, the British will bowl over the militia at Lexington. The Redcoats will then advance on Concord where they will spike cannon and burn weapons stores. The militia will retreat to high ground, regroup, then advance on the North Bridge. Shots will be exchanged. The British will withdraw. Then the most serious bloodletting of the day will

begin: Firing from rock outcroppings, trees, and houses, the American militia will open a "veritable furnace of musketry" on the British companies streaming back toward Boston.

The British barely escape the gauntlet. The war is on.

Apr. 19, 1861: Pres. Abraham Lincoln orders a Naval blockade of Confederate ports in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The blockade will be extended to North Carolina and Virginia the following week.

Apr. 19, 1945: Following a massive artillery, Naval gunfire and air bombardment of Japanese defenses on Okinawa, U.S. forces launch a coordinated ground assault against the infamous Shuri Line.

Apr. 20, 1861: A reluctant Col. Robert E. Lee – forced to choose between the United States and his home state Virginia – resigns his commission in the U.S. Army.

In a letter to his sister, Lee writes: "With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the Army, and save in defense of my native State, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed, I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword."

In three days, Lee will accept command of Virginia state forces. He is destined to become general-in-chief of Confederate forces.

Apr. 21, 1836: Described as "one of the biggest military upsets in the [western] hemisphere," Texas Army forces under the command of Gen. Sam Houston decisively defeat Mexican forces under Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna in the bloody Battle of San Jacinto. The fighting is grim – much of it hand-to-hand – but it is over in less than 20 minutes. Houston is wounded.

Santa Anna, hiding and dressed in a common soldier's uniform, will be captured the following day.

The Mexican Army is finished. Texas independence is secured.

Apr. 21, 1898: America declares war on Spain. The following day, U.S. Navy warships begin blockading Cuba, and USS Nashville (one of five so-named American warships, including two Confederate vessels of the same name) fires the first official shots of the war.

Apr. 23, 1778: Capt. John Paul Jones – commanding the Continental sloop-of-war Ranger (the first of 10 so-named American warships) – leads a daring ship-to-shore raid on the British fortress at Whitehaven, England.

Jones' sailors and Marines spike the enemy's guns, burn a few buildings, and set fire to a ship before withdrawing. The raid is the first on British soil by an American force.

Apr. 24, 1778: Jones captures the Royal Navy sloop HMS Drake in an action off the Irish coast in which Drake's captain, Commander George Burdon, is killed by a Continental Marine.

Apr. 24, 1862: Union Naval forces under the command of Adm. David Farragut knife past Confederate gunboats and batteries at Forts Jackson and St.

Philip in the Mississippi River at New Orleans. Farragut will capture the city.

Apr. 24, 1980: Following a string of glitches from missed deadlines to malfunctioning helicopters, a U.S. operation aimed at freeing American hostages in Iran is aborted at a remote staging area – code-named "Desert One" – some 200 miles from Tehran. As the rescue force begins to withdraw, one of the helicopters operating in night black-out conditions accidentally hovers into a C-130 transport aircraft. A terrific explosion follows, killing five airmen and three Marines.

Though an operational disaster, America's enemies will be stunned by the fact that such a mission in adverse conditions was nearly carried out so far from American shores. Moreover, the disaster will force military planners to ramp up and retool U.S. special operations forces, establishing a special warfare capability that is today the envy of foreign militaries worldwide

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April 18

310

St. Eusebius of Vercelli begins his reign as Catholic Pope.

1521

Martin Luther confronts the emperor Charles V, refusing to retract the views which led to his excommunication.

1676

Sudbury, Massachusetts is attacked by Indians.

1775

American revolutionaries Paul Revere and William Dawes ride though the towns of Massachusetts warning that "the British are coming."

1791

National Guardsmen prevent Louis XVI and his family from leaving Paris.

1818

A regiment of Indians and blacks is defeated at the Battle of Suwannee, in Florida, ending the First Seminole War.

1834

William Lamb becomes prime minister of England.

1838

The Wilkes' expedition to the South Pole sets sail.

1847

U.S. forces defeat Mexicans at Cerro Gordo in one of the bloodiest battle of the Mexican-American War.

If you did not have to memorize it when you were in school Here it is. I only remember the first verse. The rest of the brain cells have deteriorated over the last many years.

Paul Revere's Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

________________________________________

Listen my children and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country folk to be up and to arm."

Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore, Just as the moon rose over the bay, Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset, British man-of-war; A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Across the moon like a prison bar, And a huge black hulk, that was magnified By its own reflection in the tide.

Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street Wanders and watches, with eager ears, Till in the silence around him he hears The muster of men at the barrack door, The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet, And the measured tread of the grenadiers, Marching down to their boats on the shore.

Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church, By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread, To the belfry chamber overhead, And startled the pigeons from their perch On the sombre rafters, that round him made Masses and moving shapes of shade,-- By the trembling ladder, steep and tall, To the highest window in the wall, Where he paused to listen and look down A moment on the roofs of the town And the moonlight flowing over all.

Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead, In their night encampment on the hill, Wrapped in silence so deep and still That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread, The watchful night-wind, as it went Creeping along from tent to tent, And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"

A moment only he feels the spell

Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread Of the lonely belfry and the dead; For suddenly all his thoughts are bent On a shadowy something far away, Where the river widens to meet the bay,-- A line of black that bends and floats On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.

Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,

Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride

On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.

Now he patted his horse's side,

Now he gazed at the landscape far and near, Then, impetuous, stamped the earth, And turned and tightened his saddle girth; But mostly he watched with eager search The belfry tower of the Old North Church, As it rose above the graves on the hill, Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.

And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight A second lamp in the belfry burns.

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet; That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light, The fate of a nation was riding that night; And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, Kindled the land into flame with its heat.

He has left the village and mounted the steep, And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep, Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides; And under the alders that skirt its edge, Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge, Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.

It was twelve by the village clock

When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.

He heard the crowing of the cock,

And the barking of the farmer's dog,

And felt the damp of the river fog,

That rises after the sun goes down.

It was one by the village clock,

When he galloped into Lexington.

He saw the gilded weathercock

Swim in the moonlight as he passed,

And the meeting-house windows, black and bare, Gaze at him with a spectral glare, As if they already stood aghast At the bloody work they would look upon.

It was two by the village clock,

When he came to the bridge in Concord town.

He heard the bleating of the flock,

And the twitter of birds among the trees, And felt the breath of the morning breeze Blowing over the meadow brown.

And one was safe and asleep in his bed

Who at the bridge would be first to fall, Who that day would be lying dead, Pierced by a British musket ball.

You know the rest. In the books you have read How the British Regulars fired and fled,--- How the farmers gave them ball for ball,

>From behind each fence and farmyard wall,

Chasing the redcoats down the lane,

Then crossing the fields to emerge again Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load.

So through the night rode Paul Revere;

And so through the night went his cry of alarm To every Middlesex village and farm,--- A cry of defiance, and not of fear, A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo for evermore!

For, borne on the night-wind of the Past, Through all our history, to the last, In the hour of darkness and peril and need, The people will waken and listen to hear The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed, And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

And now thanks to Charles to bust your bubble here is some more info on the ride CASHIN'S COMMENTS THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 [AN ENCORE PRESENTATION] On this day in 1775, there occurred one of the best known yet most misunderstood events in American history. Thanks to Longfellow's famous poem, popularly but mistakenly called, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,"

nearly every schoolchild has heard of "that famous day and year."

But most of the image of the poem, while stirring, is not correct. Revere was not a volunteer. He didn't ride alone. He never finished the ride and he didn't hang any lanterns in the Old North Church.

Actually, Revere's heritage was French. He was Appollos Rivoire before a name change. Revere was a patriot, of course. He was one of the "Indians"

at the Boston Tea Party. He had been active in many pre-revolutionary groups. But that night he was serving as a paid messenger, a role he had often before served. (He actually submitted a bill for his famous ride.) Historians also believe the ride started at a time earlier than midnight.

The lanterns signaling "one if by land and two if by sea" were actually set by church sexton, Robert Newman. The signal meant the British regulars were setting out to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams (two higher profile

patriots) at Lexington and then to seize a stash of revolutionary arms and gunpowder at Concord.

Revere and a co-rider William Dawes rented horses and set out on their ride. They made it to Lexington, warning Adams and Hancock. They were joined by Dr. Samuel Prescott. On the way to Concord, Dawes and Reverewere arrested. (Speeding?) Prescott, however got through and so the patriots were ready the next day to fire "the shot heard round the world."

And sources say that Revere didn't shout, "The British are coming!" Rather it is believed he called out - "Awake! The Regulars are out!" (How

riveting.)

And finally despite thousands of barroom bets that Revere's horse was "Brown Betty", no one knows the name of the horse. (Not even the Boston Historical Society - it was rented after all!)

CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 4 MICHAEL J. NOVOSEL Received medal: June 15, 1971 Novosel served in three wars during his time in the military, initially enlisting in the Army Air Corps and becoming a captain who flew B-29 bombers in 1945. He also fought during the Korean War as a pilot before leaving the military to work in commercial aviation. In the 1960s, he learned he had glaucoma, disqualifying him from flying as a civilian. He was inspired by President John F. Kennedy's call for Americans to ask what they could do for their country, and decided to re-enlist in the Army, which needed combat pilots in Vietnam and chose to waive the glaucoma disqualification. He'd become a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, but had to accept a lower rank of chief warrant officer in the Army. His first tour ended in 1967. His second was with the 82nd Medical Detachment, 45th Medical Company, 68th Medical Group. He was a "dustoff" pilot — an airman who flew helicopters into battle to hover long enough to evacuate injured soldiers. His mission on Oct. 2, 1969, was to fly into the Kien Tuong Province to rescue a group of South Vietnamese soldiers who were surrounded by the North Vietnamese near the Cambodian border. All of the men on the ground were out of ammunition and had no radio communication, so Novosel had to repeatedly circle the area under heavy enemy fire and without cover or fire support. He and his crew flew low and scooped up the injured men, making six trips to drop off men at a Special Forces camp for medical attention. On his final trip, he saw a soldier close to an enemy bunker. Despite knowing he'd draw more fire, he went in backward so the man could be pulled on board. One of the enemy soldiers opened fire at close range, damaging the helicopter and hitting Novosel in the leg and hand. He nearly lost control of the helicopter, but managed to lift off and get everyone to safety. He and his men would save 29 soldiers that day, and during his two tours in Vietnam, Novosel reportedly evacuated more than 5,000 men. In early 1970, Novosel's son, Michael Jr., was a recent Army flight school graduate and was assigned to his father's unit. The two were reportedly the only father-and-son team to fly together in the same unit in combat. Novosel completed his tour in 1970, and the next spring, he learned that he was to receive the Medal of Honor. His presentation was delayed so that his son could finish his tour and attend the ceremony. On June 15, 1971, President Richard Nixon presented Novosel with his medal. Novosel died on April 2, 2006, at age 83.

A U.S. Army Air Forces B-25B Mitchell bomber takes off from the USS Hornet (CV-8) aircraft carrier to take part in the first U.S. bombing of Japan on April 18, 1942. The surprise attack, retaliation for the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, would go down in history as the "Doolittle Raid," named after the man who commanded it, Lt. Col. James Doolittle. File Photo by NARA

April 18 (UPI) --Richard Cole, the last surviving U.S. servicemember who participated in the Doolittle Raid against Japan following the Pearl Harbor attack, took part in a 75th anniversary ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday.

In retaliation for thesurprise attackon Pearl Harbor, 16 U.S. bombers carrying 80 men took off from theUSS Hornetaircraft carrierto bombTokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya, Kobe and Nagoya on April 18, 1942.

In the attack, dubbed the Doolittle Raid after the group's leader, renowned aviator Lt. Col.James Doolittle, all but three of the 80 U.S. servicemembers survived the mission. Most returned to the United States. One of the B-25 Mitchell medium bombers survived. Most crashed in Chinese territory or were ditched at sea.

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To commemorate the mission that followed the United States' entry into World War II, Cole, who is 101 years old, will complete adecades-long traditionof drinking a toast to a deceased Raider and of turning over a goblet belonging to the late fellow member. This year, Cole will toast to David Thatcher, a fellow Raider who died on June 22, and he will turn over Thatcher's goblet.

When asked what the 75th anniversary of the attack means to him, Cole said, "It means I'm getting to be an old man."

In the commemoration event, 17 B-25 bombers were on display and there was a B-1 flyover at the conclusion of the memorial service, in which a wreath was laid.

The last year the ceremony was held was in 2013 because of the Raiders' ages and increasing difficulty traveling. Four Raiders were still living at that event.

"I propose a toast to those who were lost on the mission and to those who have passed away since," Cole said. "May they rest in peace."

The U.S. Air Force Museum said that while the Doolittle Raid "caused minor damage, it forced the Japanese to recall combat forces for home defense, raised fears among the Japanese civilians and boosted morale among Americans and our allies abroad."

RIPPLE SALVO… #774… THE ROLLING THUNDER OPS ANALYSIS GURUS HAD IT FIGURED OUT. The odds of getting bagged were 20 in a 1000 on the strikes going into the Red River Valley. The probability of getting shot down improved to 2 in 1000 for the Rolling Thunder missions in the panhandle of North Vietnam, which is where the 31 March 1968 Presidential order drew the line. SHAZAM!!! In that instant, Rolling Thunder weapons delivery pilots improved ten-fold their chances of surviving the incomparable and exhilarating experience of being shot at and missed about 200 times… but first…

GOOD MORNING: Day SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR of a daily dose of an air war fought by bold, brave Americans fifty-years ago in a place called Vietnam…

HEAD LINES from the OGDEN STANDARD-EXAMINER on Thursday, 18 APRIL 1968…

THE WAR: Page 1: "BOMBERS POUND ENEMY TROOPS AND SUPPLIES IN A SHAU VALLEY–B-52s RAKE 25-MILE BASE AREA"…"Waves of B-52s hit South Vietnam's A Shau Valley with more than 1,500 tons of bombs Wednesday and today in the war's heaviest aerial blows for a 24-hour period. At least 60 of the eight-engine Stratofortresses streaked over the valley from bases in Thailand and Guam to bomb North Vietnam truck parks, storage areas and troop concentrations. PRIME TARGET… The 25 mile long valley has become the No. 1 target for the B-52s. Senior U.S. officers believe the North Vietnamese may be using the valley as a staging area for another major attack on Hue, 25 miles to the northeast….Since April 1, the B-52s have flown 55 separate missions over the area, with each mission averaging about six planes. An estimated 8,000 tons of explosives have been dropped on targets in the area…. In the biggest battle, U.S. Infantrymen from the 9th Division reported killing 78 Vietcong in day-long fighting in the Mekong Delta and along the northern frontier. Four Americans were killed and 15 wounded… In four other clashes in the delta, South Vietnamese troops claimed killing 80 Viet Cong. Government casualties were put at nine dead and 20 wounded… At the other end of the country, five scattered fights were reported near the eastern end of the DMZ. U.S. Marines and paratroopers reported 16 killed and 73 wounded but they said they killed at least 23 of the enemy….. Marine units fought two battles near the big Dong Ha base in Quang Tri Province, with 10 Marines and nine enemy killed…."… FROM PDB: "Increased Communist pressure against Khe Sanh continued yesterday. Elsewhere in South Vietnam there was little significant contact with Communist forces."

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